Days after a triple bombing attacks against residential compounds housing Americans and foreigners in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Lebanon announced smashing a network that was preparing attacks against the U.S. embassy. "The Lebanese secret services and those of the Syrian army present in Lebanon arrested Lebanese and Palestinian members of a network planning attacks against the U.S. embassy in Lebanon," the Lebanese army's press chief told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Nine people had been arrested, General Elias Farhat added. He said the network also planned to "attack posts of the Lebanese military and the Syrian army in Lebanon and to kidnap a Lebanese political figure."
The statement comes a week after a Lebanese military court charged two Lebanese nationals with planning three unsuccessful attacks against the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon and the U.S. consulate north of Beirut. Abdel-Ilah Jassem, also known as Abu Obeida, and Khaled Mohammed al-Ali were charged with trying to kill ambassador Vincent Battle during a visit to the Lebanese northern city of Tripoli late last year, a judicial official said. Jassem was supposed to fire a missile at Battle's car, but the plan failed for reasons that remained unclear.
"Goddammit, Abdel! You wired the red to the green! What the hell good does that do?"
"Uhhh... Didn't blow me up, did it?"
"Didn't blow him up, either!" |
A second plan was to place explosives in a tunnel and detonate them when the ambassador's car passed through.
| But then the Roadrunner popped up and painted a Detour sign next to it. I saw that one. When they went in to retrieve their Acme dynamite a train ran over them... |
A third attack was mooted against the U.S. embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, with rocket-propelled grenades.
"Abdel, these grenades ain't rocket propelled!"
"They ain't? What's this, then?"
"Don't touch that! Don't ever touch that!" |
The two defendants, five other Lebanese and two Palestinians are also being prosecuted for a string of attacks using dynamite against four U.S. fast-food restaurants and a British store over the past few months. Authorities were still hunting for a mysterious Yemeni believed to have organized the attacks.
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